1. Overview of Open Access

Open access is a publishing model that makes peer-reviewed scholarly research freely available to the public without subscription fees or access barriers. The International Journal of Medical Anesthesiology is committed to open access publishing to ensure that research findings reach healthcare practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and patients worldwide without financial or institutional restrictions.

The journal adheres to the principles established by the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), which defines open access as the free availability of literature on the public internet, permitting users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts without financial, legal, or technical barriers. The journal also aligns with the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, which emphasises the importance of disseminating knowledge freely for the advancement of science and society.

Open access in medical publishing ensures that life-saving research and clinical evidence are accessible to healthcare professionals in all settings, including those in resource-limited environments where subscription-based journals may be unaffordable.

2. Benefits of Open Access

2.1 For Authors and Researchers

Open access publishing significantly increases the visibility and citation potential of research articles. Studies have demonstrated that open access articles receive higher citation rates compared to those behind paywalls. Authors benefit from broader readership, as their work becomes accessible to practitioners, students, and researchers who may not have institutional subscriptions. Furthermore, many funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Wellcome Trust, mandate open access publication of funded research, making compliance easier for authors publishing in this journal.

2.2 For Readers and the Medical Community

Open access removes barriers to knowledge, allowing clinicians, medical students, and healthcare workers worldwide to access current research without cost. This is particularly beneficial for professionals in developing countries who may lack institutional access to subscription journals. Through initiatives such as Research4Life (HINARI), open access content reaches institutions in low- and middle-income countries, supporting evidence-based medical practice globally.

2.3 For Scientific Progress

Open access accelerates the pace of scientific discovery by enabling researchers to build upon published findings immediately. The removal of access barriers promotes collaboration across institutions and countries, strengthens the reproducibility of research, and ensures that publicly funded research benefits the public.

3. Types of Open Access

The International Journal of Medical Anesthesiology operates as a Gold Open Access journal, meaning that all accepted articles are made freely available on the journal website immediately upon publication. There is no embargo period, and the final published version is accessible to all readers without charge.

The journal also supports Green Open Access by permitting authors to self-archive their accepted manuscripts in institutional repositories or preprint servers. Authors may deposit the accepted manuscript (post-peer-review) in repositories such as PubMed Central or institutional archives.

4. Licensing

All articles published in this journal are distributed under Creative Commons licences, which provide a standardised framework for sharing scholarly content while protecting authors' rights.

The default licence is Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), which permits users to share, copy, redistribute, adapt, remix, and build upon the work for any purpose, including commercial use, provided appropriate credit is given to the original authors, a link to the licence is provided, and any changes made are indicated.

Authors may alternatively select Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0), which allows the same freedoms but prohibits commercial reuse without separate permission. For authors requiring that their work not be modified, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 (CC BY-ND 4.0) is available upon request.

Authors retain full copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication. The selected licence is displayed on each published article, informing readers of their rights regarding reuse and redistribution.

5. Funding and Article Processing Charges

As an open access journal, the International Journal of Medical Anesthesiology does not charge readers for access. Instead, publication costs are covered through Article Processing Charges (APCs) payable by authors upon acceptance of their manuscript. The APC covers peer review administration, editorial processing, copyediting, typesetting, digital hosting, and long-term preservation.

The current APC and payment details are published on the journal website. Authors are informed of applicable charges at the time of submission. No charges are levied for rejected manuscripts.

5.1 Waivers and Discounts

The journal is committed to ensuring that financial limitations do not prevent publication of quality research. Full or partial APC waivers are available for authors from low-income and lower-middle-income countries as classified by the World Bank. Authors experiencing financial hardship may apply for discretionary waivers, which are assessed independently of editorial decisions to maintain integrity of the peer review process.

6. Repository and Archiving

All published articles are permanently archived to ensure long-term accessibility. Each article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) through Crossref, providing a persistent link that remains functional even if the journal website URL changes.

7. Accessibility and Distribution

The journal is committed to ensuring its content reaches the widest possible audience. The journal website is designed to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, ensuring usability for readers with disabilities. Articles are published in PDF for online reading, downloading and printing.

Content is distributed through academic search engines, indexing services, and social media platforms to maximise discoverability.